


Redemption

by locrianrose



Series: Currently Unnamed Superhero Au [1]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/M, superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 12:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4746623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/locrianrose/pseuds/locrianrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carolina's made far too many mistakes. She can only hope to fix them, one by one.  York is torn. North is in love with the both of them. Tex is impossibly busy.  South is resentful, and Wash is still missing. (The Alpha wishes that someone would tell him just what's going on.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Redemption

None of them like Carolina much now. She doesn’t blame them for that. They can’t deny that she tried to help them defeat the Director in the end, but she will always be his daughter, and they know that. York insists that they can trust her now. North accepts that. South still hates her. Wash is still missing, Connie is dead, Tex has disappeared to take care of the Alpha, making only occasional visits. 

Carolina doesn’t want their acceptance. She knows that what she did before was wrong. She understands why Tex doesn’t trust her with the location of the Alpha. She knows that it’s her fault that Eta and Iota were taken by the Meta--that it’s partially her fault that Maine even became the Meta under Sigma’s influence. It’s her fault that the twins won’t visit her since they were recovered 

Sometimes the worst part is that she really and truly had loved them, and that she can see now how she hurt them and betrayed their trust. They were too young to truly understand her motivations and now they only see her as someone who harmed and tried to use them. It hurts. She doesn’t want the pity that York and North so readily give her--she wants to make things better. She wants to fix it.

York trusts her too much. When she wants to go out and run alone in the city he lets her do so without a word of worry about her betraying them, and all she can think is that she doesn’t deserve his trust, and that she’s going to fail and ruin everything. 

It’s one day after she’s been out running that she comes home to see Tex’s bike in the driveway when her point of view shifts. 

North and South are sitting on the porch. Theta is sitting between them, munching on a Popsicle that’s dripping violently purple syrup down his chin. South just glares at her, but North stands. 

“Carolina. Mind if we talk for a bit before you go in?”

“Fine.” It’s hard not to snap at him, to want to tell him that she doesn’t need his permission to do something as simply as enter the home that they share, but she notices how Theta’s edged nervously towards South with her arrival, so she slowly nods and follows him around the edge of the house.

“Theta’s visiting.”

“I noticed.” 

“Eta’s here.”

Carolina freezes at that revelation.

“Why.”

“She’s been asking about you.”

“She can’t see me.” A hint of desperation slips into her voice. “Tell York I need him to get me out of here.”

“Carolina.” North’s tone is cautionary. “She wants to see you, but if you’re not ready, that’s your choice to make. Just keep her in mind.”

“Not an option to see her now.” Carolina strides towards the front of the house again, only to freeze at the sound of a childish laugh, followed by the appearance of the one of the few people other than perhaps Maine who she hurt the most with her foolish loyalty to her father. 

The daughter who she’d abandoned is staring at her from behind Theta, who has frozen to stare nervously at Carolina. 

Carolina manages to take half a step back before Eta darts forward, hugging her around her legs as if she’s never going to let go. The little girl is taller now, and Carolina winces when she sees the startlingly familiar green eyes that were passed down to her children as well. Someone’s taken the time to braid her hair, and Carolina stares at it.

“She’s missed you.” Carolina jerks her head to glance at Tex, the other woman leaning against the wall to watch her closely. 

“Have they been safe?”

“Yes. I made sure he won’t find them.”

That’s one thing that Tex and Carolina are united in now, even if Carolina doubts that the other should trust her-- and that’s the protection of Eta and Iota, and how to prevent their Grandfather from finding them.

“Mommy.” Eta tugs on Carolina’s arm, and she’s forced to bend down to the other’s level, staring into her eyes. “I missed you!” 

For once, Carolina lets herself hug her daughter. In that moment she wishes that she could pretend that it was possible for her to have the family that York had wanted with him, but she knows that’s not possible now. She ruined that chance.

“I missed you.” Carolina speaks quietly. Theta has edged over to North to cling to his hand. 

“But you left us?”

There’s a question in her daughter’s voice that makes Carolina wish that she’d done everything she could to protect her twins, that Iota and Eta could both be with her now.

She wants to fix this, but she doesn’t know if she ever can.

“I did.” Carolina carefully extractes herself from her daughter's arms, pausing. “North, will you give us some time to talk?” 

She doesn’t ask Tex to leave. Doesn’t expect her to leave even if she does. They all understand that Carolina isn’t to be completely trusted, with perhaps the exception of York. He’d always trusted her too much, even when she’d--

Carolina forces herself to focus on Eta. She isn’t here to think about that.

“I was wrong, and I’m sorry. I want to be better” 

The words seem paltry in comparison to the multitude of her sins, but how Eta slowly nods to her, then takes her hand and pulls her along with her towards Tex, means more for a future chance than anything else ever could. 

The time seems to fly by as Eta shows her the picture that she drew for her and babbles on about Aunt Emily and Delta and how Aunt Emily’s been teaching them how to read. Tex doesn’t seem keen to explain who “Aunt Emily” is, and Carolina doesn’t know how Delta fits into all of this, but she’s glad to at least know that he’s safe. 

(Part of her is bitterly glad that York didn’t trust her enough to tell her where Delta was staying, and that he’s still exercising caution as he very well should. Part of her regrets that she knows Delta would have no desire to see her anymore.)

They stay for about an hour. York makes sandwiches and Eta tells them about her escapades with Iota. That’s when Emily comes to pick them up, and Carolina meets the formidable woman who’s been taking care of her children. Her presence is off putting at first, but when she sees how Eta is thrilled to see her and that even Theta is comfortable with her Carolina relaxes somewhat. They leave, and Carolina is left standing outside with Tex. 

Tex studies Carolina. Carolina stares after Emily’s van till it’s gone. 

“Good luck. The kids miss you.”

“Thank you.”

That’s all Carolina can say to Tex. It’s still hard to talk to the other woman, but they have reached some sort of compromise by now. Tex still reminds Carolina too much of her mother, and Carolina’s past loyalty to the director has earned her Tex’s suspicion. 

Carolina heads in to North and York. South isn’t visible. Eta’s drawing has earned the place of honor on the fridge beside some of Theta’s art and an old  photograph of Delta and York. She stares at it for a moment, and while she does York carefully approaches her, placing a cautious arm on her shoulder. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” She takes a deep breath, then continues. “I think it’s going to be okay.”


End file.
